POLOKWANE – Mankweng has for the second consecutive quarter ranked among the top 5 stations in the country in terms of the incidence of rape and domestic violence.
In the first quarter of 2023/24, between April and June, both the Mankweng and Seshego stations also ranked in the top 30 stations countrywide for sexual offences.
According to the DA’s Katlego Phala, this highlights a lack of support and resources at these stations to improve their response rate.
She also said it was unacceptable that these police stations are a recurring feature on the country’s top 30 rape and sexual offences list quarter after quarter.
“The brazen nature of some of these rapes is also cause for concern, as 202 of these incidents occurred in public places and 13 more incidents occurred at educational institutions (10 in schools, two in special schools and one at tertiary level).”
She said the statistics further show that domestic violence continues to be a serious societal issue.
The province recorded eight cases of murder, nine of attempted murder, 54 rape, seven sexual assault, 395 assault to commit grievous bodily harm, and 649 of common as domestic violence related crimes, she added.
Meanwhile, the Mothapo Development Forum based in the Mankweng precinct, stated there was a need for a concerted effort and greater resources to address the high incidence of sexual offences and domestic violence.
The forum’s Nelson Ramogale said they would approach the local police to find how their group could assist.
